E3 2016: Ubusoft announces Trials of the Blood Dragon, out today

Well this came out of nowhere. Apparently Ubisoft has been secretly working on a sort-of sequel to the cult hit Far Cry 3 expansion, Blood Dragon. The twist is that it's not really a sequel at all. Trials of the Blood Dragon is a weird bike-racing, shooting, platforming...thing, and I don't think it's what anybody expected, or wanted.

Supposedly the cyber-commando hero from the first game, Rex Power Colt, got hitched to Dr. Darling, the game's love interest, and now they have two 90s "radical!" kids who do stunts on motorcycles and kill cyborgs. The game is out today on PS4, Xbox One and PC, for $14.99.

I'll be honest, this gives me mixed feelings. Like a lot of fans I loved the original Blood Dragon and thought that in many ways it was better than its parent game, Far Cry 3. The 80s aesthetic and humor were right up my alley. But turning an irreverent, sarcastic shooter into a platformer-racer about the hero's kids? Gah, Ubisoft, just...ugh. When Ubisoft announced Far Cry Primal I figured they were done with Blood Dragon, so it's nice that they still consider it a viable IP, but this is kind of a backhanded compliment. It's like when Nintendo announced a new Metroid game last E3...and it was Federation Force.

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UBISOFT® ANNOUNCES TRIALS® OF THE BLOOD DRAGON IS AVAILABLE TODAY

LOS ANGELES ?? June 13, 2016 - Today, during Ubisoft??s E3 press conference, Ubisoft announced that Trials of the Blood Dragon, the follow-up to the successful Trials series, is now available for download worldwide on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Trials of the Blood Dragon is an explosive single player experience with a wicked combination of the Trials series?? renowned, competitive, physics-based gameplay and unique, neon-drenched Blood Dragon attitude. Trials of the Blood Dragon is available for an MSRP of $14.99 and is rated T for Teen.

Trials of the Blood Dragon expands the notorious motocross platforming gameplay of Trials into a full narrative-driven adventure. Players will journey through 30 missions spanning seven different worlds, from Vietnam War 4 to Space and even Hell.

Traversing through these unique worlds, players will be using a range of gravity-defying vehicles, weapons and tools from bikes to jetpacks; plasma rifle and CD launcher; and a grappling hook to get over and through anything they need to. With Trials of the Blood Dragon, there are also narrative-driven objectives supported by a colorful cast of characters along the journey.

Additionally, players will be able to race against each other on asynchronous multiplayer leader-boards for the extra competitive edge. Completing the experience is the game??s soundtrack, composed by Power Glove that players can unlock over the course of the game.

For more information on Trials of the Blood Dragon, please visit www.ubisoft.com , follow Trials of The Blood Dragon on www.twitter.com/trialsgames or www.facebook.com/trials.official and join the conversation by using #TrialsGame. About Ubisoft Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin??s Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy??s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft??s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015-16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of ??1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About RedLynx RedLynx, a Ubisoft studio, is located in Finland and is best known for its award winning and best-selling physics-based racing series Trials®. Previous installments such as Trials Evolution® and Trials Fusion?? amazed the fans with innovative gameplay and new types of social features. In 2014 Trials Frontier?? brought the series to mobile platforms for the first time, having resulted in over 40 million downloads since its launch. The studio continues to put its energy into exciting the fans of the Trials franchise, and also expanding its portfolio of groundbreaking titles on all platforms.